Simsbury Residents Raise Concerns About Pharos Farm Deal

Would Sell 40-Acre Parcel To Local Farmer In Exchange For Easements

December 12, 2012|By ERIK HESSELBERG, Special to The Courant, The Hartford Courant

SIMSBURY – — Selectmen are moving cautiously on a proposal to sell the town-owned Pharos Farm to a local farmer following a public hearing at which residents raised concerns over the deal.

First Selectman Mary Glassman said that while many appeared to support the sale of the 40-acre Pharos Farm to organic farmer George Hall, concerns over the complexities of the deal are prompting selectmen to take more time for review. "I think the intent is good," Glassman said Tuesday. "But we want to insure that this transaction accomplishes what we set out to do."

The deal calls for selling Pharos Farm to Hall in exchange for permanent agricultural easements on both the Pharos parcel and for Hall's 10-acre farm at 180 Old Farms Road. The easements, according to the land trust, would ensure that the properties could never be developed and that farming would continue on the land, a fertile swath along the Farmington River between Terry's Plain Road and Quarry Road.

Glassman said the main concern is that the transaction, brokered by the Simsbury Land Trust, is overly complex. To qualify for a $275,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture grant, which requires a minimum of 20 acres, the land trust crafted a deal to unite the George Hall farm and the town-owned Pharos tract, which Hall has farmed for decades through yearly leases.

Under the proposal, the town would sell the 40-acre Pharos Farm to Hall for the appraised value of $480,000. At the same time, Hall would sell conservation easements to the land trust on his property and Pharos farm for $550,000, giving him the funds to buy Pharos Farm

Glassman said some questioned why competitive bids were not sought to ensure the town was getting the most for Pharos Farm. She said such a move could have opened up the property for development, which is what the town was trying to prevent. Others asked why the sale was even necessary, since Hall is already farming the property though leases.

Hall, who is now in his 80s, has practiced organic farming methods since the mid-1960s, according to his website. He also developed a community-supported agriculture program in which residents purchase shares in exchange for a weekly allotment of fresh vegetables, fruits and other farm products.

"This is a complicated transaction, and I think we have to move slowly and do our due diligence," Glassman said.

Glassman said that an appraisal by the town put the value f Pharos Farm at $500,000, higher than the land trust estimate. Selectmen are expected to discuss and possible vote on the proposal at the next meeting in January.